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Tuesday, October 28, 1997

Texas Tech, Virginia Tech to tinker with lunar legacy

LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) - Researchers at Texas Tech and Virginia Tech universities will use technology that helped send man to the moon to get him around town.

The U.S. Department of Energy is granting about 100 fuel cells, similar to those used on the Apollo missions, to the schools for research into super-efficient, hydrogen-powered Earth vehicles.

Chrysler, Ford and General Motors already are investigating the possibilities.

"We're probably not going to beat the Big Three," Texas Tech lecturer Jesse Jones said. "They've got millions of dollars and hundreds of people."

The goal is a low-pollution car that can travel 325 miles without refueling.

Texas Tech will use $384,500 in grant money toward the alternative-fuel program. Scientists expect to receive the first cell by April 1, although the GM-donated Chevrolet Lumina that will be converted to hydrogen power should be here sooner.

While the research is being conducted at separate venues, Jones said the scientists will communicate with each other. He believes a final product, wherever it's made, will be better because of the universities' input.

"It's state-of-the-art," Jones said. "It's a lot of fun."

The idea will be not only to produce more efficient engines, but also more durable ones, Texas Tech graduate student Spencer Wheat said.

Jones, a NASA scientist for 20 years, said researchers only recently considered the fuel cells for automobile use despite their availability for space travel three decades ago.

The cells take in hydrogen and oxygen, break the gases down and release electricity and water. The electricity powers electric motors and charges batteries. The water humidifies the air and cools the engine.

One of the hurdles scientists must overcome will be fuel quantity. With current technology, the tank needed for long-range driving would be too bulky to be practical.Send a Letter to the Editor about This Story | Start or Join A Discussion about This Story
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